Where Neighbors Saw a Jumble of Blocks, They Saw Tetris Pieces With Potential

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Challenge Particulars:

Location: Skubianka, Poland

Designer: SZCZ Jakub Szczesny / @szcz.artwork

Footprint: 1,744 sq. toes

Structural Engineer: Artur Wiśniewski

Photographer: Nate Cook dinner / @natecookphotography

From the Designer: “The home is situated close to Warsaw, near a river and surrounded by a gently sloping blended forest. The house owners purchased it accidentally after they met an actual property agent whereas strolling their canine, who led them to a pyramid-like constructing hidden among the many timber. It turned out to be an uninhabited residence. The constructing was constructed between 1976 and 1981 throughout a interval of disaster and low availability of constructing supplies. It was constructed from no matter could possibly be obtained from building websites and renovations of infrastructure services: for instance, the ceilings have been made from tram rails, which have been laid at a slight slope above the bottom flooring as they pierced by means of the outer wall and have become a part of the terrace construction. Due to its slight slope, the terrace was naturally drained. On the identical time, the ground in the lounge behind the wall had a noticeable slope, and the wall was blackened by the chilly and moisture penetrating by means of the rails. The unique building documentation consisted of some pages with very sketchy drawings and a one-page description.

“I made it clear to the purchasers that renovating this home would possible be costlier than constructing a brand new one, and positively extra labor-intensive. Nonetheless, the house owners wished to maintain the stepped form of the constructing, weren’t afraid of low ceilings, and wished to keep in touch with the inexperienced environment. We launched massive glazing, particularly operable home windows for air flow and views. The purchasers determined to not have any railings on the highest degree. The home was for use solely by the mature couple and infrequently their two grownup daughters. Initially, the constructing was to function a second house, however as the inside work progressed, the place was so stress-free that they have been much less inclined to return to their house in Warsaw. The proprietor is expert together with his fingers, so with the assistance of buddies, he constructed a lot of the furnishings, made metalwork components, and a door with a hydraulic elevate.

“Our objective was to discreetly disguise the house among the many timber and create a distinction between the camouflaged exterior and the heat of the eclectic inside. We proposed flooring skylights within the terrace to light up one of many visitor bedrooms and in the lounge to light up the hall on the bottom flooring. The constructing was to be as easy and subdued as potential. The home windows have been to draw consideration, with extra large metal frames and purple accents within the inside. The home was designed to lift the extent of the dwelling space and revel in a greater view: above the low floor flooring, the place there are two visitor bedrooms for the daughters, a examine and a rest room with a boiler room, there’s a kitchen with a eating space and a lounge with a further bathroom and a brand new terrace (the outdated one needed to be dismantled). Above, there may be the first bed room with a view of the forest and the river, a small lavatory, and two terraces.

“Through the building, the purchasers determined to alter the unique location of the storage and canopy it with a inexperienced roof, which might be accessed from the upper a part of the plot. Based on the residents of the home, folks within the space referred to as it a ‘block’ and thought of it ugly attributable to its rectangular form and lack of not less than a gable roof. Nonetheless, it was exactly this set of shapes resembling figures from the sport Tetris that attracted the present house owners a lot that they purchased the home with out hesitation and didn’t even take into consideration changing it with one other one.

“The furnishings is a hodgepodge of artifacts, starting from outdated furnishings from the earlier house to so-called ‘helpful objects,’ or objects that had been mendacity round indefinitely on cabinets within the household’s storage and basement. The proprietor claims that he nonetheless has many helpful objects in his new storage and that they’re ready for his or her flip when he builds a sauna.”